Want to scare a room full of psychologists?

Just start talking about sexually abused boys.

In 2013 I presented the results of my dissertation, in the form of a poster, at the annual convention of the American Psychological Association. I had originally submitted a proposal to speak at the conference but that proposal was not approved. I did receive a nice email explaining that talks are scheduled in groups based upon topic and that they had no other talks that they could group with mine. In other words, no one else wanted to talk about it.

Still, they were willing to let me display my poster for an hour. I was thankful for the opportunity. Overall the experience of presenting at the APA conference was great but the reaction that I saw from several people was troubling to me. I watched one psychologist after another approach my poster and begin to read the title. As soon as they reached the words “sexual abuse” they instantly turned their eyes toward the floor and walked away as quickly as possible. They looked like kids who had just walked in on their parents having sex.

In fairness I should say that lots of people are reluctant to talk about sexual abuse, but until yesterday this was the only evidence I had seen to suggest that psychologists are as scared to talk about it as anyone else. Yesterday I read an article by Dr. Joan Cook, Ph.D. She is a professor at Yale and the president of the APA’s Division of Trauma Psychology. In the piece, Cook relates her recent experience of trying to organize a symposium to present the latest research related to the sexual abuse of boys. She reached out to all of the other divisions of the APA (there are more than 50), looking for someone willing to co-sponsor the symposium. No one stepped up.

Psychologists, especially those who do therapy, are supposed to be people with whom you can talk about anything. Whatever you have to get off of your chest, we’re expected to be able to handle it, without freaking out or judging you. In fact, there are many good therapists (including psychologists and therapists from other disciplines) who can handle it, but on the whole, our field still has a long way to go.

So where do we turn for leadership when many of the “experts” are reluctant to even address the topic? We look within. We look within ourselves and within our communities and we become the leaders that we seek. This is why I am so excited about SCRIPT. It provides an opportunity for professionals, community leaders, survivors and those who care about them, to come together as equals to prevent abuse and to help heal the wounds that it inflicts. It doesn’t matter whether we’re talking about sexual abuse, physical abuse, neglect, or any other form of violence or trauma. It doesn’t matter if you learned about trauma in an ivory tower or in a dark alley. If you want to be part of the solution, there is a place for you at SCRIPT.